Chapter 41 The Prince's Failed Rebellion
After hearing this, Bai Luonan got into the car without saying a word. She said respectfully, "Lin'an County Princess, hello."
Zhang Xiaojia drank tea leisurely and looked at her with cold eyes.
Bai Luonan poured her tea and said with a flattering smile, "Lin'an, I'm really helpless. My father is the Minister of the Three Departments. You should have heard about this, right?"
Zhang Xiaojia sneered and said sarcastically, "Oh, just like my brother is the emperor, who in the whole capital doesn't know it? You are just talking nonsense."
Bai Luonan pretended not to hear and continued, "My mother and the head of the Song family were childhood friends, and my grandmother and the Song family's grandmother also had a deep friendship. They both wanted me to marry into the Song family. But the problem is, my father is the Minister of the Three Departments, while the head of the Song family is the Minister of State."
Zhang Xiaojia understood immediately after hearing this. She knew that in the Zhou Dynasty, although Tong Pingzhangshi was the head of the prime ministers, he had no real power. Despite this, he was still a type of prime minister.
The Sansishi held real power and was also the highest financial official in the country. Therefore, a marriage between the two families was not appropriate.
Bai Luonan looked helpless. She complained, "That mother-in-law and daughter-in-law always fight to the death over other matters, but they're surprisingly unanimous when it comes to my marriage. It's winter, and I can't stay home. I have no choice but to come to the restaurant and wait for my father to be fired so we can go home together."
Zhang Xiaojia said coldly, "What does this have to do with me? Don't even think about using me as a pawn."
Bai Luonan continued to deceive, "Lin'an, how about you punish me and lock me up in the county lady's mansion until next March?"
Zhang Xiaojia couldn't help but sneer when he heard this. "Next March, you can take the imperial examination? Are you sure this is a punishment?"
Bai Luonan held her forehead. "Can't Lin'an just see through it and not say it?" She looked at her pitifully.
Zhang Xiaojia's expression was indifferent, and she spoke calmly, "This county lady cannot help you with this. According to Article 4 of the Great Zhou Law, women in an official's harem are not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Although you haven't yet entered the officialdom, you will definitely embark on the path of officialdom in the future. I believe you don't want to be constrained by Prince Jing's influence, right?"
Bai Luonan stared at Zhang Xiaojia and said undeniably, "Lin'an, being able to marry Prince Jing is a blessing that many people dream of but cannot obtain. Since you didn't reject Zhou Panni, why did you reject me?"
Zhang Xiaojia raised her eyebrows slightly and said bluntly, "Because you will become a powerful official in the future, and she is just an ignorant little idiot."
Zhang Xiaojia always firmly believes in one truth: never gamble on human nature, and never test human nature easily.
Because she deeply understands that human nature is as unpredictable as the ever-changing wind and clouds. It often reveals its fragile, selfish and even ugly side at critical moments, catching people off guard.
Therefore, for Zhang Xiaojia, pinning one's hopes on something as illusory and unpredictable as human nature is undoubtedly an extremely risky and foolish act.
"I really envy them," Bai Luonan muttered to himself, his tone full of envy and confusion. "I grew up with you, but why do you always protect them and not me?"
Zhang Xiaojia's eyes were calm and profound. She spoke slowly, "Because you are a strong person. You have your own tenacity and perseverance, and the courage to persevere in the face of adversity. Strong people never need the protection of others. They rely on their own strength to carve out a world for themselves."
Zhang Xiaojia continued, "Don't think that just because you're pretending to be pitiful, your scheme against me will be forgiven. You owe me this once, and I'll ask for it back next time. Now, the rest is your way."
Bai Luonan jumped out of the car and asked with a smile, "Lin'an, do you regret it? If you hadn't gotten married, you would have had a place in the court."
Zhang Xiaojia smiled calmly, her eyes gleaming with a yearning for freedom as she said, "If I hadn't gotten married, I might have traveled all over the Great Zhou, experiencing the customs and cultures of different places, and enjoying the freedom of being unfettered."
For the first time, Zhang Xiaojia felt that the road to the palace was so long.
Someone stopped her carriage again.
"Princess Jing, the Fourth Princess invites you to sit for a while on the second floor of Qingle Teahouse." The messenger spoke respectfully.
Zhang Xiaojia said nothing, got off the carriage quietly, and whispered to the coachman, "Wu Desi."
Entering the second floor, the Fourth Princess had been waiting for a long time. Nearly thirty, her skin was as smooth as cream, but it couldn't hide the faint smell of blood. She wore a polite smile and said slowly, "Sixth Princess, how are you?"
Zhang Xiaojia sneered in response, "Wouldn't it be better if we never met again?"
The Fourth Princess's smile remained undimmed, as if she hadn't heard what he said. "I heard that Sixth Brother was plotting a rebellion a few months ago."
Zhang Xiaojia also smiled: "I also heard that it will be difficult for you to leave the capital this time. You may follow your brother's footsteps and be forced to choose between poisoned wine and white silk. I wonder if you have ever thought about how to say goodbye? Also, the musty smell on you is really unpleasant."
The Fourth Princess whispered in her ear, "Is Your Majesty's skill in bed any good? You're just using your beauty to please others, waiting for old age and fading beauty. You haven't even entered the harem yet, have you?"
Zhang Xiaojia laughed roguely, slapped him in the face with her backhand, and said sternly, "How dare you!" She felt something was wrong! Didn't she know that He Fei had already left the imperial mausoleum?
The Fourth Princess had never thought that Zhang Xiaojia would dare to hit her, and she shouted angrily, "Zhang Xiaojia, I will kill you."
Zhang Xiaojia slapped the Fourth Princess again: "This county lady is so scared!"
The fourth princess suppressed her temper and said, "I want to see the emperor. As long as you see the emperor, I will ensure that you will enter the harem. Otherwise, I will make you go to the imperial mausoleum to accompany my sixth brother."
Zhang Xiaojia laughed provocatively and said, "Go ahead, no one will stop you!"
The Fourth Princess threatened in a cold tone, "If you fail to see His Majesty tomorrow, rumors about you and the Emperor will spread all over Kyoto."
"Waiter, come up quickly!" Zhang Xiaojia called out, and a waiter hurried over. She casually tossed a few gold and silver peanuts and instructed, "Tell me in detail the emotional entanglement between the Emperor, the Princess of Lin'an, and Prince Jing."
The waiter took the tip, beaming with joy as he began to recount the story with gusto: "Sir, you've truly come to the right place. Half a year ago, Prince Jing, enraged by the Empress's use of a 'living dead' drug on Prince Jing and Concubine Chen, led his troops into the palace, intending to kill the Empress and protect the Emperor and Princess Lin'an. Unexpectedly, someone bribed by the Empress secretly harmed Prince Jing. Upon seeing this, Princess Lin'an resolutely entered the palace and, at her peril, exposed the Empress's conspiracy."
The waiter swallowed and lowered his voice, "But that's just the official story. Our inn is often visited by royal relatives, and I've heard privately that the Emperor was actually infatuated with Princess Lin'an. After discovering the Empress's scheme, he wanted to use this opportunity to take her into his harem. But Princess Lin'an was incredibly stubborn. Without a second thought, she resolutely followed Prince Jing into the imperial mausoleum. The Emperor ultimately gave in, but his admiration and love for Princess Lin'an only grew stronger than ever."
The fourth princess had a gloomy expression and was extremely surprised.
Zhang Xiaojia laughed arrogantly, but inwardly sighed. The world had completely changed. Had the Fourth Princess been reborn? Or had someone close to the Fourth Princess been reborn or traveled through time?
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